California Zephyr
| Name | California Zephyr |
|---|---|
| Start | Emeryville (CA) |
| End | Chicago |
| Distance | 2,438 Miles |
| Duration | 51 Hours |
| Creation | 1949 by Chicago, Burlington & Quincy; Denver & Rio Grande Western; and Western Pacific |
August 19
Our hotel was right down the street from the train station, so we woke up early, got some coffee, and walked over. We knew from last night that the station was small, but it still seems so strange to have a terminal stop of one of the most popular routes be such a tiny station. The station itself is mostly under construction, so everyone waited outside essentially on the tracks.
Fewer than 100 people boarded the train here (perhaps indicative of why the station is so small) and most of them had sleeper cars (this is not indicative at all of the quality of our decision to ride 51 hours in coach), so we were able to get right on and get a seat together.
The Bay is still smokey today so we can’t see too much. Based on the day/night map, we should see the rest of California and most of Nevada before nightfall.
We slowly made our way from the Bay Area towards Sacramento and then climbed into the Sierra Nevada mountains. People say that it’s best to take the Zephyr from Chicago towards California, but I think seeing the mountains, valleys, and streams right away makes the trip immediately enjoyable (especially as the delays start to pile up).
Our trusty day/night map was right again! We spent the rest of the day traveling through Nevada from vegetated mountain valleys down to the bare desert. As the sun was setting, it felt very much like we were on the moon with nothing around us.
We went to bed around Elko, Nevada. I can’t seem to find my crash dummy/bug/alien sleeping face mask. It’s possible that I lost it on the train to Seattle, but I’m not convinced someone didn’t intentionally lose it to avoid being embarrased… This is Terri’s first night on the train, so hopefully she is able to sleep and won’t jump ship at the first stop of the morning!
Salt Lake City is the first stop in Utah, but it’s scheduled for 3 am. We’re passing on that and are just hoping to see some of Utah in daylight.
